Our Team

Bhaj Townsend

Bhaj Townsend is a leading authority in legacy planning for families. She is the author of two books, 3 coaching programs, numerous articles and intergenerational projects, and has been interviewed on many programs sharing her experience and expertise. She serves or has served on boards of city and community organizations as well as presided and been members of local estate planning councils and family business advisor groups.

Bhaj is a member of a family who experienced the effects of a third generation breakdown to the family business. The family built the lifestyle but not the foundation to successful transfer of the family values and mission to future generations. Due to the tensions and consequences that resulted from the turmoil of the money grab, Bhaj dedicated her professional life to understanding and guiding families how to stay connected when money is involved.

Bhaj began her career as a financial planner and had the opportunity to understand that financial stewardship was rare. She witnessed the devastating consequence of taking money casually. In the early 1990s she developed her nationally accredited Cash Focus program to coach people to financial stewardship. Over the years she realized that money needed to be addressed in the family culture as much as it needed to be addressed with individual people. From study, research and observation she developed materials and systems that assist families in staying connected while growing and understanding their wealth.

Bhaj is Founder of Focus and Sustain, coaching families since 1997 to strengthen their connection to themselves and each other for generations. She speaks on the subject, she coaches and she offers workshops to families and advisors on building families of significance like others who are still together and growing after three, five generations or seventeen generations.

Bhaj was born in France and raised in NY. She was a champion tennis player as a teenager. Today she is still trying to find a way to get Roger Federer to sign her RF cap.

Bhaj loves what she does because it embodies her life’s mission. Helping people deal with some of their toughest issues is her life.

Irina has been working with Focus and Sustain for over 5 years. With her ability to focus on the big picture as well as the important details, Irina is a great contributor to F&S. She is the team leader to marketing and product launches as well as support to Bhaj.

Irina has high standards coupled with a strong sense of fairness. She loves working at F&S because she has an opportunity to contribute in a meaningful way while still being able to pursue her number one value: joy. She is true to that.

Originally from Romania, Irina has background as an account manager in advertising. She has obtained an MBA from a joint program of University of Bucharest and University of Washington.

"Bhaj is extremely present in the moment and you know that she is giving you 100% of her attention and focus… Bhaj is the real deal and loves the work. She speaks from personal experience and pitfalls. Bhaj lives what she teaches."

A.C.

We use our values to guide us in everything that we do. Our Company's Values are:

Vision

Empathy

Leadership

Harmony

Humor

Our Company's Mission:

With empathetic leadership and vision, we guide those families who value their own legacy to stay connected for generations. Using our creative, customized processes and sustainable solutions, we take families from where they are to where they want to be.

“Irina is a woman who gets it done. She points out things that I miss. She adds ideas where there were none in areas I have not had time to address. She cares about this work deeply and she is true to its vision and mission.”